US 11,732,378 B2
Three dielectric electrohydrodynamic patterning
Michael Benedict, Palo Alto, CA (US); David Mathew Johnson, San Francisco, CA (US); Elif Karatay, Mountain View, CA (US); Eric Weflen, Ames, IA (US); and Ravi Neelakantan, Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed by PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 2, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/590,902.
Prior Publication US 2021/0102305 A1, Apr. 8, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C25D 13/04 (2006.01)
CPC C25D 13/04 (2013.01) 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A continuous manufacturing system to electrohydrodynamically pattern at least one material to be patterned, comprising:
a first belt comprising a first electrode having a first voltage;
a second belt comprising a second electrode having a second voltage that is different from the first voltage;
the at least one material to be patterned residing between the first electrode and the second electrode;
a gap between at least one surface of the at least one material to be patterned and one of the first or second electrodes;
at least one removable patterning material deposited on the surface of the at least one material to be patterned such that the at least one removable patterning material only partially fills the gap, wherein the at least one removable patterning material is a material other than air and has one of a different dielectric constant than the at least one material to be patterned, different conductivity than the at least one material to be patterned, or modifies the electric field strength in the gap that causes the at least one removable patterning material to react differently to application of an electric field to form a desired pattern in the at least one material to be patterned;
a curing apparatus to cure the at least one material to be patterned in the desired pattern; and
at least one filling material filling the gap.